Service Projects

When students arrive on campus for New Student Orientation each fall, they experience a variety of educational and social activities designed to help them successfully transition to Ringling College of Art and Design, and to become actively involved in the Sarasota community.

The Student Volunteerism and Service-Learning staff strive to develop and broaden these types of learning opportunities to help students enhance their leadership skills, build friendships, and facilitate teamwork. As part of the Orientation experience, students participate in a self-selected community service project.

Read through the 2014 selections below and then be sure to fill out the web form (after August 1, 2014) to participate with your top preferences. If you have trouble accessing the web form, you may mail, fax, or scan and email a hard copy found here. Submit to Rachel Levey-Baker (volunteerism@ringling.edu, fax 941-359-7634 or 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234).

****You must log in with your Ringling College user i.d. and password. If you do not yet have this set up, please go to the Ringling College Portal at my.ringling.edu and click on "New Account" on the left side. You will need your Student ID number. You will also need your health insurance info. If you have the student health insurance through Ringling College, you will use this info: Insurance Company Name: United Health Care, Insurance Company Phone: 888-978-8355, Policy Number: (this is your Student ID number), Policy Holder Name: (your name)****

Remember to bring closed-toe shoes, protection from the sun (hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen) and bugs, wear light-weight long pants and work clothes that you do not mind getting dirty!

Join in this beautification project to help spruce up this valuable community asset! Students will be doing general clean up and beautification, both indoors and outdoors.

Community Haven for Adults & Children with Disabilities, Inc. creates solutions and makes changes in the lives of children, teens, and adults with disabilities by providing a variety of specialized programs and services, such as Early Childhood Intervention, School-to-Work Transition, Occupational Rehabilitation, Work Force Development, Kaleidoscope Musical Theater, Employment Opportunities, and Community Living.

The goal of InStride is to improve the physical and/or neurological status of individuals with physical and mental disabilities through Hippotherapy. Riders with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, autism, traumatic brain injury and learning disabilities have all benefited from participation in the InStride therapeutic riding program. They currently serve over 100 children and adults with disabilities from Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte counties. Lend a hand to assist this important community resource!

Students will not get to work with the horses but will get to see a demonstration on how they are used for therapy. Volunteers will assist with many important tasks around the facility like yard work, cleaning stalls, and even painting designs on picnic tables.

This clean up with involve removing invasive and exotic plants and trees, removing debris from the Intra Coastal Waterway side (there are multiple tires submerged that need to be removed), and cleaning out the swamp area.

This clean up with involve removing invasive and exotic plants and trees, and removing debris and trash from Woodmere Park. It sits on 36 acres off Jacaranda Boulevard in southeastern Venice. A special feature of this park is our 2.5 acre "Paw Park". Dogs and their best friends are welcome from dawn to dusk to walk, run, play and enjoy.

This clean up with involve removing invasive and exotic plants and weeds, pruning trimming, and tennis court maintenance including painting, windscreen adjustments, removing old clay, etc. Payne Park Tennis Center is located at just off U.S. Highway 301 in downtown Sarasota just south of Ringling Boulevard.

This clean up with involve painting, planting, weeding, mulching, and picnic table/bench repair and replacement. Blalock Park is named for James T. Blalock, who served as mayor of Venice from 1929-41. Amenities:Arboretum, sidewalks, shade trees and gazebo in area sometimes used for special events. The arboretum names many types of palm trees and is decorated by Venice Area Beautification Inc. for the holidays.

Help Mote Aquarium with its awesome new social media promotion: #SelfFish, the selfie for aquarium fans. Students will walk through Mote Aquarium and take their own #SelfFish pictures while imitating the face, pose or appearance of their favorite animal. Then the students will post their picture with the tags #SelfFish and #MoteMarineLab on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or other social media sites, encouraging others to join the fun. The oceans support life across our planet, including our own communities, so taking good care of our oceans is a #SelfFish act in the best possible way!Click here to see some #SelfFish pictures from the Mote team.

Required: Smartphone with camera and Wi-Fi abilities OR digital camera with USB cord / USB card reader. (You’ll need to be able to make the post online with your smartphone or transfer your photo and statement to a Mac laptop at Mote.)

About Mote Marine Laboratory and AquariumFounded in 1955, Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit 501(c) 3 research organization dedicated to today’s research for tomorrow’s oceans. Mote emphasizes world-class research relevant to conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, healthy habitats and natural resources. Showcasing this research is Mote Aquarium, which is home to more than 100 marine species and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 365 days a year. Learn more at www.mote.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube: /motemarinelab